ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
National Clean Air Programme
National Clean Air Programme  was launched by the Ministry of Environment Forest &Climate Change  in January 2019 as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy making determined efforts to deal with the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner. The objective of the NCAP is comprehensive mitigation actions for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution. Measures taken by the government for air quality management are at Annexure I.
Under NCAP, it has been envisaged to achieve targets of 20 to 30 % reduction in Particulate Matter concentration by 2024 across the country. The NCAP is implemented in 132 cities in the country.
There has been an overall improvement in Particulate Matter10  concentration in 95 cities including 20 cities conforming to the National Ambient Air Quality Standard in the year 2021-22 as compared to 2017. Details are provided at Annexure II.
NCAP covers Non-Attainment Cities  wherein National Ambient Air Quality Standard  is exceeded for 5 consecutive years. Under NCAP, 124 cities identified as NACs and 8 other million plus cities of Fifteenth Finance Commission- Million Plus Cities Challenge Fund are covered.
Under NCAP, the international organizations have been engaged to provide technical assistance. The details of cities in which international organisations are engaged for technical assistance under NCAP are provided at Annexure III.
Under NCAP, Apex Committee, Steering Committee, Monitoring Committee and Implementation Committee at Central level have been constituted for effective implementation of NCAP. Also Steering Committee and Implementation Committee at State level, and Implementation and Monitoring Committee at City level have been constituted for monitoring of action plans.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
Maa Kamakhya corridor will be a landmark initiative: PM
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi expressed hope that like Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Shree Mahakal Mahalok corridor, Maa Kamakhya corridor will also be a landmark initiative.
In a tweet, Chief Minister of Assam, Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma shared a glimpse of how the renovated Maa Kamakhya corridor will look like in the near future.
Responding to the tweet by Assam CM, the Prime Minister tweeted;
“I am sure Maa Kamakhya corridor will be a landmark initiative.
Kashi Vishwanath Dham and Shree Mahakal Mahalok have been transformative as far as the spiritual experience is concerned. Equally important is the fact that tourism is enhanced and the local economy gets a boost.”
Ministry of Development of North-East Region
DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh lays foundation stone of ‘Technology Facility Center’ at Jorhat, Assam
In another landmark initiative for the Northeast, the Union Minister of State  Development of North Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh laid the foundation stone of new Science Centre, the "Technology Facility Centre"  in the premises of the CSIR-North East Institute of Science & Technology  in Jorhat, Assam, yesterday.
The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region  will bear the cost of setting up of this new Science Centre and has, to begin with, allocated Rs.40 crore for its construction. Present on this historic occasion were, among others, Member of Lok Sabha from Jorhat, Shri Kamkhya Prasad Tasa, Director CSIR-NEIST Dr S. Chattopadhyaya, Chairman Research Council Dr G.N. Qazi, Secretary NEC  Shri Ram Muivah, Vice-Chancellor and National University, Dr Pardeshi Lal.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said that Northeast has vast scientific reserves waiting to be explored and he was happy that the Ministry of DoNER had come forward to help the Department of Science & Technology  and CSIR to institutionalise the technical applications for promoting research as well as job creation. He hoped that the new TFC will prove to be a boon for young aspiring youth and will emerge as a Center of Excellence for all the eight States of Northeast as well as the rest of India.
Dr Jitendra Singh referred to “North-Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project”  and “North East Rural Livelihood Project” , the two programmes run by the Ministry of DoNER and NEC, which were devoted to the cause of improving livelihood opportunities for unemployed youth, farmers, women and artisans. He expressed the hope that the new Center will serve as a technical and interventional catalyst for fast-track growth, which could eventually enable the North Eastern States to equal the success rate of some of the western States of India.
Ministry of Defence
Andaman & Nicobar Islands Fisherman and Forest Department awarded for saving precious lives at sea
Key highlight:
- More than 10,000 lives have been saved from sea
Indian Coast Guard is the nodal agency for Maritime Search and Rescue operations. It has dedicated Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres  and Maritime Rescue Sub Centres , which are operating 24x7 to respond to distress messages received to coordinate Search and Rescue  missions. Till date, 10,262 precious lives in distress at sea have been saved by the Indian Coast Guard.
Indian Coast Guard conducts the National Maritime Search and Rescue  Board meeting, every year, to discuss policy issues, formulate guidelines & procedures, assess the efficacy of National Search and Rescue Plan and also recognise contributions towards SAR by merchant mariners, government owned vessels, maritime fraternity and fishermen.
This year the 19th NMSAR Board meeting was held on 25 November 2021 wherein, representatives from the Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar, were conferred with Annual SAR  awards, at New Delhi, for exemplary contributions towards saving precious lives at sea. The awardees included Shri V Raja Rao, a fisherman from Campbell Bay, who was awarded the ‘SAR Award for Fisherman’, for the year 2021, for saving three precious lives from a sinking fishing boat Manikanna, on 24 June 2021 and the Forest Department of A&N, was felicitated with the ‘SAR Award for Ashore Unit’, for rescuing three precious lives of fishing boat Kokila and drifting off Swaraj Dweep, due to engine failure. These awards recognise the voluntary efforts for saving precious lives at sea and the two awards for personnel from the Union Territory of A&N, validate the collaborative structure of SAR in the islands.
ABB/ADA
(Visitor Counter : 957
Ministry of Finance
Exchange Rate Notification No. 104/2020 - Customs 
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 , the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs hereby makes the following amendment in the Notification of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs No.99/2020-CUSTOMS , dated 15th October, 2020 with effect from 4th November, 2020, namely: -
In the SCHEDULE-I of the said Notification, for serial No. 18 and the entries relating thereto, the following shall be substituted, namely: -
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Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Government has launched YuWaah – a multi-stakeholder platform to make young people career ready
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and United Nations Children Fund  have signed a “Statement of Intent” on 20.07.2020 to establish YuWaah, Generation Unlimited , a global multi-stakeholder platform in India. As per the Statement of Intent, the objectives of this project are:
Support young people by providing entrepreneurship classes  with successful entrepreneurs and experts, towards establishing entrepreneurial mindset among young people.
Upskilling of young people on 21st century skills, life skills, digital skills through online and offline channels and support them through self-learning, for their productive lives and the future of work.
Create linkages with aspirational economic opportunities to connect young people with employment opportunities, including building pathways to connect them with jobs or self-employment. For this, innovative solutions and technology platforms will be engages to take maximize the scale and reach.
Providing career guidance support to young people through career portal as well as through job-readiness and self-exploration sessions to make young people career-ready.
The role of Department of Youth Affairs in this project is to provide relevant experts to participate on the YuWaah Technical Working Groups/ Task Forces.
This information was given by Union Minister of State  for Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM congratulates Singhraj Adhana for winning Bronze Medal in shooting at Paralympics Games
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated Singhraj Adhana for winning the Bronze Medal in shooting at the Paralympics Games in Tokyo.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Exceptional performance by Singhraj Adhana! India’s talented shooter brings home the coveted Bronze Medal. He has worked tremendously hard and achieved remarkable successes. Congratulations to him and best wishes for the endeavours ahead. #Paralympics #Praise4Para"
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways ’s Initiative towards Health for All
Government to develop 150 bedded multi-specialty hospital at New Mangalore Port on PPP basis at an estimated cost of Rs. 107 Crores
This multi-specialty hospital will provide quality healthcare services for the treatment of Port employees/CISF/retired personnel and their dependents: Shri Sarbananda Sonowal
In India, healthcare infrastructure has been acknowledged as an important indicator for understanding the healthcare delivery provisions and welfare mechanisms in a country. Recently, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has accorded approval for developing a 150-bedded multi-specialty hospital at New Mangalore Port Authority,  on PPP mode for an estimated cost of Rs.107 Crores.
“This hospital will provide quality healthcare services to Port employees, CISF, retired personnel and their dependents as well as non-NMPA patients residing in the surrounding region of the port thus implementing the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji of assured access of Quality Healthcare to the last person at the last mile”, said Shri Sarbananda Sonowal.
Currently, NMPA has a 32-bedded hospital, which offers OPD and diagnostic services to its patients . The new 150 bedded multi-specialty hospital will offer a wide range of medical services with a capability to treat many different types of illness and conditions. This project will make available all amenities to the patients like IPD facilities, ICU, Advanced Diagnostic facilities , Multi-Specialty Services  emergency care, diagnosis, surgery and treatment under one roof which are not available in the existing Port Hospital.
Under this project, 3 acres of land identified by the Port Authority shall be handed over to the Concessionaire for this development. The existing hospital on ~1.3 acres plot shall be handed over to the concessionaire for operations, which shall be handed over to the Port Authority after starting of new multi-specialty hospital.
This project will rationalize the annual medical expenditure incurred on the treatment of their employees. It will provide healthcare to the nearby population residing within 5 kms of radius at Panambur, Baikampdy, Kulai, Surathkal etc. and will contribute towards employment of Specialists, Doctors, Pharmacist, Nursing Staff and other para-medical staff etc.
Ministry of Railways
New BG Electrified Line of 294.53 route Kms from Katghora to Dongargarh will provide rail connectivity to unserved areas of Chhattisgarh
Korba, Bilaspur, Mungeli, Kabirdham and Rajnandgaon districts of Chhattisgarh will be benefitted
Estimated cost of project is Rs. 5950.47 crore with equity participation of Ministry of Railways and Government of Chhattisgarh
First project of its kind and magnitude to be undertaken through State Joint Venture route
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the following:-
- The New Broad Gauge Electrified Line of 294.53 route Kms from Katghora to Dongargarh will provide rail connectivity to unserved areas of Chhattishgarh, opening them up for industrial development through movement of freight to the busy Jharsuguda-Nagpur section of Howrah Mumbai route by avoiding busy yards of Bilaspur, Champa and Durg stations.
- The Korba, Bilaspur, Mungeli, Kabirdham and Rajnandgaon districts of Chhattisgarh will be benefitted by this new rail line.
- Estimated cost of this project is Rs. 5950.47 crore to be implemented by a Project SPV namely Chhattisgarh Katghora-Dongarhgarh Railway Limited with equity participation of Ministry of Railways and Government of Chhattisgarh through Chhattisgarh Railway Corporation Ltd  and private stakeholders.
With opening up of Raigarh District  to coal mining, it is expected that South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. and various end use miners will increase coal mining in Chhattisgarh State from the present 150MTPA to 250MTPA in near future. This project will reduce congestion on the existing Jharsuguda-Nagpur route which has more than 135% average utilization as on 2014-15. This will add nearly 30-35 MTPA capacity to system of Indian Railways which is nearly 3% of its present output. This project will also provide a faster dedicated route to west bound traffic of SECR, serve unserved areas of the State of Chhattisgarh and facilitate setting up of industry along the route. This is the first project of its kind and magnitude to be undertaken through the State Joint Venture route.
Background:
Chhattisgarh Railway Corporation Ltd.  is a Joint Venture between Ministry of Railways  and Chhattisgarh Government on 49:51 basis in the form of a company under the Companies Act 2013 for jointly identifying, mobilizing resources and monitoring of the Railway Projects in various States. Accordingly, CRCL has prepared a Detailed Project Report for a new single electrified railway line between existing Dongargarh Station on Nagpur-Raipur route and Katghora, a station on the under execution section from Gevra Road-Pendra Road.
Ministry of Power
NHPC pays final dividend of Rs 249.44 Crore to Government of India for FY 2020-21
NHPC, a premier hydro power Company and a ‘Mini Ratna’ Category-I Enterprise of the Government of India has paid a final dividend of Rs. 249.44 Crore to Government of India for the F.Y. 2020-21 on October 21, 2021. Shri A.K. Singh, CMD, NHPC handed the payment intimation advice to Shri R.K. Singh, Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy at New Delhi on 26.10.2021 in the presence of Shri Alok Kumar, Secretary , Govt. of India and Shri S.K.G. Rahate, Additional Secretary , Govt. of India. In addition, an interim dividend of Rs. 890.85 Crore for the F.Y. 2020-21 was paid on March 05,2021 aggregating total dividend of Rs. 1140.28 Crore for the F.Y. 2020-21.
The Board of Directors of the Company in its meeting held on 10th June 2021 had recommended a final dividend at the rate of Rs. 0.35 per Equity share i.e. 3.50% of the face value for the F.Y. 2020-21 which was approved in AGM on September 29,2021. In addition, an interim dividend at the rate of Rs. 1.25 per Equity share i.e. 12.50% of the face value was paid on March 05,2021. Thus, total dividend of Rs. 1.60/- per share has been paid for the F.Y. 2020-21. NHPC today has seven lakh shareholders  and total dividend pay-out for the F.Y. 2020-21 including interim dividend worked out to Rs. 1607.21 crore as against Rs. 1506.76 Crore for F.Y. 2019.20.
In terms of Department of Investment & Public Asset Management  Guidelines dated May 27, 2016 on Capital Restructuring of CPSEs, each CPSU is required to pay a minimum annual dividend at the rate of 30% of PAT or 5% of Net worth, whichever is higher. In line with the ibid guidelines, NHPC has paid total dividend of Rs. 1607.21 crore which works out to 5.08% of net worth of the Company and 49.71% of PAT for the F.Y. 2020-21.
NHPC had earned net profit of Rs. 3233.37 crore for the F.Y. 2020-21 as against the previous period corresponding figure of Rs. 3007.17 crore.
Ministry of Power
NTPC and OIL come together to collaborate in Renewable Energy and Decarbonization
The largest integrated power utility corporation of India and the second-largest national oil and gas company of the country have joined hands to work together in the area of renewable energy. Yes, NTPC Limited and Oil India Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 31st August 2023, to explore collaboration in the areas of renewable energy, green hydrogen and its derivatives, and decarbonization initiatives including through use of geothermal energy. The MoU shall also facilitate sharing of knowledge and experience on upcoming decarbonisation technologies such as carbon sequestration.
Through the MoU, the two Maharatna giants intend to enhance their footprint in the domain of renewable energy and foray into sustainable solutions towards achieving the nation’s target of achieving Net Zero by the year 2070.
The MoU was signed in New Delhi, in the presence of CMD, NTPC Shri Gurdeep Singh; CMD, OIL, Dr. Ranjit Rath; and their functional directors.
NTPC is present across the power sector value chain, with a total installed capacity of 73,024 MW. Oil India Limited is a state-owned oil company engaged in the business of exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas.
NTPC is committed to achieve 60 GW of Renewable Energy capacity by the year 2032. It aims to be a major player in Green Hydrogen Technology and Energy Storage domain. The company is taking up several initiatives towards decarbonization such as Hydrogen blending, Carbon Capture and Fuel cell, buses among others.
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Ministry of Coal
Minister Pralhad Joshi Reviews Coal Production from Commercial and Captive Mines
Directs to Achieve 162 million tonne Production in FY 2023-24
Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi reviewed coal production performance of commercial and captive mines in a meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Coalhere today.In a tweet, the Minister said thatproduction from captive and commercial coal mines have been steadily increasing over the years, registering 216 % growth during the last six years.In today’s meetingShri Joshi deliberated on ways to increase coal production by 39% in this fiscal from commercial and captive mines.The Ministeralso took stock of production from underground coal mines and emphasized on Underground Coal Mine Mission Plan to achieve 100 million tonne coal production.
In June 2020, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the first-ever commercial coal mines auction under the CM  Act of 2015/ MMDR Act of 1957. So far, six tranches of commercial coal mines auctions have been completed and a total of 86 coal mines with a total annual production capacity of 218.9 million tonne per annum  have been successfully auctioned. The 7th tranche of commercial coal mines auctions offering a total of 98 mines is in progress.
Prior to the start of commercial coal mine auctions, the average duration for operationalization of coal mine was around fiveyears.However, the average duration of operationalization of coal mines after commercial auctions has been reduced considerably and the result is already seen with contribution of production from the commercial mines.The first commercial coal mine started production within one year from its allocation. Coal production from commercial coal mines in FY 2021-22 was 1.15 million tonne  and 7.12 MT in FY 2022-23 with four commercial coal blocks i.e. Sulyari, Garepalma IV/1, Garepalma IV/7 and Gotitoriamines. It is expected that additional six commercially auctioned coal mines are likely to be operationalized in FY 2023-24 with an expected coal production of 12.2 million tonne .
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
220.28 cr Total Vaccine doses  have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
3,84,206 doses administered in last 24 hours
India's Active caseload currently stands at 1,960
Active cases stand at 0.01%
Recovery Rate currently at 98.81%
117 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,41,49,228
140 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
91.43 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 1,34,735 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Ministry of Finance
Auction for Sale  of  ‘7.17% GS 2030’,  ‘7.41% GS 2036’ and  ‘7.40% GS 2062’
The Government of India  has announced the sale  of  “7.17% Government Security 2030” for a notified amount of ₹7,000 crore  through price based auction using uniform price method,  “7.41% Government Security 2036” for a notified amount of ₹12,000 crore  through price based auction using uniform price method and  “7.40% Government Security 2062” for a notified amount of ₹12,000 crore  through price based auction using multiple price method. GoI will have the option to retain additional subscription up to Rs. 2,000 crore against each security mentioned above. The auctions will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai Office, Fort, Mumbai on April 28, 2023 .
Up to 5% of the notified amount of the sale of the securities will be allotted to eligible individuals and institutions as per the Scheme for Non-Competitive Bidding Facility in the Auction of Government Securities.
Both competitive and non-competitive bids for the auction should be submitted in electronic format on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution  system on April 28, 2023. The non-competitive bids should be submitted between 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and the competitive bids should be submitted between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
The result of the auctions will be announced on April 28, 2023  and payment by successful bidders will be on May 02, 2023 .
The Securities will be eligible for “When Issued” trading in accordance with the guidelines on ‘When Issued transactions in Central Government Securities’ issued by the Reserve Bank of India vide circular No. RBI/2018-19/25 dated July 24, 2018 as amended from time to time.
Ministry of Finance
Cabinet approves investment cooperation and facilitation treaty between India and Brazil
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing and ratification of the Investment Cooperation and Facilitation Treaty  between India and Brazil.
The Treaty will result in increase of investment flows between the two countries. The ICFT between India and Brazil will provide appropriate facilitation to Brazilian investors in India and Indian investors in the Brazil. It is likely to increase the comfort level and boost the confidence of investors by assuring a level playing field and non-discrimination in all investment facilitation matters, thus providing conducive investment climate to investors. It would help project India as a preferred Foreign Direct Investment  destination to all Brazilian investors.